21
I killed the Demon King. It was a mistake.
Chapter 21
The next day, Caesar met Knox for the first time.
"It's an honor to meet you, Caesar Sylvatil. My name is Knox. I will serve you diligently until my bones wear out."
How should one describe Knox?
If you were to stop a random person on the street and ask what kind of person Knox might be, a hundred out of a hundred would say he looks like a butler.
And he seemed to have an extreme case of obsessive-compulsive disorder, as there wasn't a single spot that wasn't clean from his shoes to his clothes.
Harrison thought he was quite neat, but Knox's cleanliness was on a different level.
"I heard you've been assisting Harrison for a long time?"
"Yes, that's correct. But you can forget about that fact now."
He's quite perceptive too.
Is it good because he's someone Harrison brought?
Or did Harrison give him a heads-up in advance?
Whatever the case, it seems Harrison has brought in a capable person.
Caesar extended his hand for a handshake.
"I look forward to working with you."
Knox took off his white gloves and shook hands.
"I will do my utmost best."
Caesar used psychometry.
-Since Mr. Harrison has a good eye for people, this must be a good person.
-By the way, his clothes are quite disheveled...
-It seems he hasn't trimmed his beard yet either...
-I want to tidy him up.
-I want to tidy him up.
-I want to tidy him up.
Caesar quickly withdrew his hand.
Knox tilted his head in confusion.
"What's wrong? Is there something uncomfortable...?"
"...No. It must have been static electricity."
This guy isn't completely normal either.
It seems he has something like OCD...
Will it be okay?
"Ahem. Anyway, I have a task for you."
Caesar spoke while looking inside Benjamin & Junior.
"I'm going to meet with the council members here. But as you can see, it's not very organized right now."
Knox's eyes sharpened.
It felt like ‘Work Mode’ was written above his head.
Putting that aside, even to Caesar, the tea house looked quite dirty.
Although Benjamin had tried his best to clean and organize, replacing and repairing damaged furnishings isn't something that can be done overnight.
"It's very dirty... No, damaged. In this state, it would be disrespectful to welcome the council members."
"Benjamin is the general manager here, but he hasn't had experience dealing with high-ranking people. So I was hoping you could help with the interior design."
"Leave it to me. I'll make it suitable for welcoming the council members."
Caesar turned to Benjamin and said,
"Did you hear that? Accept Knox's suggestions and turn this into a high-class tea house. Don't worry about money, spend liberally."
"Yes! Understood."
"So how long do you think it will take? I was hoping to have it done within three days if possible."
Knox thought for a moment before speaking.
"It will be tight, but I think it's possible."
"Okay. Got it. Well then, good luck."
Caesar and Harrison took a carriage to Clearbay.
Although there were several places they needed to visit, the first stop was, of course, the police station.
"Are you doing well?"
Dominic was trembling and looking around nervously.
"Pl-please let me go. I, I really made a mistake. If I stay here, I'll really die."
"Why? Did someone say they would kill you?"
"Th-the boss will surely k-kill me. He'll definitely... Somehow..."
"So you're not eating and starving yourself? Afraid they might poison your food?"
Dominic barely managed to nod.
"How pitiful. Truly pitiful."
Caesar made a gesture.
Then, Harrison took out a sandwich from his bag and handed it to the guy.
You could hear Dominic's saliva swallowing.
"Here, eat."
"I-I'm fine..."
"Think about it carefully. If I was going to kill you, I would have done it on the ship. Right? Why would I bother killing you here?"
At Caesar's words, Dominic rolled his eyes around before carefully taking the sandwich and putting it in his mouth.
"--!"
It must have been delicious because Dominic ate eagerly while tears streamed down his face.
Harrison additionally handed him a bottle of milk, which Dominic snatched and gulped down.
"The world is truly ironic. The food given by me, who tried to crack your skull, is safer. Right?"
Dominic finally burst into tears.
"Sob! I, I really don't want to die, Sir Caesar!"
Dominic knelt down and prostrated himself as if he was about to lick Caesar's feet.
"Pl-please save me. If you save me, I'll be a dog if you tell me to be one!"
"Hey, Dominic. You want to live?"
"Yes! Yes! Please save me!"
"Then."
Caesar handed him a notebook and pen.
"Write down everything you know here. Then I won't kill you."
"Is, is that true?"
"Yes. Starting with the hideout locations, the whereabouts of secret ledgers, to the names of high-ranking officials you've been in contact with. Write down everything you know right in front of my eyes. Then I'll let you live."
Dominic's eyes rolled around.
"...If I write everything down, you won't kill me, right?"
"Then who can you trust? Gilbert? Or the council members you've been in contact with? They'd want you dead, wouldn't they? Once you're dead, their weaknesses disappear."
Caesar pushed the notebook and pen towards Dominic.
"But if you write down all the information you know here, you'll no longer have anything to fear. They'll target me first instead of you. Right?"
"...!"
Dominic bit his lips and pulled his hair while agonizing, but eventually picked up the pen.
"If, if I really write everything down, you'll let me live, right?"
"I don't know how many times I have to say it. I'll let you live."
Dominic seemed to have made up his mind as he picked up the pen and started scribbling earnestly.
Perhaps because of this, Dominic failed to notice Caesar's sharp gaze.
'That's right. I'll let you live. I'll let you.'
Caesar waited quietly until Dominic finished writing everything down.
***
As soon as Caesar came out of the visiting room, Ren was waiting.
No other police officers were in sight.
"Sir Caesar. We should keep that notebook in police custody..."
"John Start, Bill Gray, Adam Jones. Do you happen to know these people?"
Ren's expression immediately hardened.
The names Caesar mentioned were those used on Ren's secret bank accounts.
Caesar smiled gently and said, "I want to have a long relationship with you. Who else but the Clearbay police would come running first if my people or I have problems?"
"..."
At Caesar's signal, Harrison opened a small ring box and handed it over.
Inside was a small gold ring.
"I heard it's customary in Homigraph to give small gifts to neighbors when moving in. Please accept it."
Ren looked at the box with a complex expression before finally accepting it with both hands respectfully.
"Thank you."
This wasn't just a simple gold ring.
It was essentially a token promising to spare Ren's life.
"Keep a close eye on Dominic. He might be useful later."
"Understood. Please take care."
Caesar got into the carriage.
The next destination was Caesar's detached house.
***
As soon as Caesar got off in front of the house, he tilted his head.
"Doesn't it seem like a lot has changed, Harrison?"
Caesar's house originally had gray outer walls with an iron gate.
But now, the walls appeared to be about 1m higher, and instead of the see-through iron gate, there was a thick iron door that looked like it wouldn't open even with dynamite.
"While repairing the interior, we also improved the house structure for security. Jake was in charge of it."
When Harrison rang the doorbell, after a moment, the sound of a motor running was heard, and the door slid open like a sliding door.
It seemed the door was too heavy for manual operation, so it was opened mechanically.
As the door opened, Caesar was greeted by security guards.
The guards bowed their heads towards Caesar.
"Nice to meet you, Sir Caesar. I'm Jake."
This seemed to be the mansion security expert Harrison had mentioned.
Jake was almost as tall as Caesar.
His build was also bear-like, giving the impression that one proper hit from him would leave most people unable to gather their bones.
"Nice to meet you. I can see why you're called Westline Fist."
"That's just an embarrassing old nickname. Now, I'll do my best to assist you, Caesar."
"Alright. Could you give me a tour of the house?"
"Yes. Please follow me."
The entrance was designed with double doors so that the garden couldn't be seen directly from the main gate. It was so thorough that one might wonder if such strict security was necessary.
When Jake opened the door, the mansion Caesar remembered finally came into view.
The main difference was a small brick house in one corner of the mansion for the guards to rest and standby.
The gray walls surrounding the area were a bit stuffy, but seeing gardeners planting trees nearby, it seemed they were trying to make it as un-dreary as possible.
"I heard that you'll be using the entire second floor, sir. We've prepared stairs and an elevator so you can go directly to the second-floor terrace without passing through the first floor."
Well, it would be awkward to keep going in and out with Jake and his team living on the first floor.
It seemed they had sensibly solved that problem, which Caesar had been wondering how to address.
"Other than that..."
The rest of the explanation wasn't particularly noteworthy.
Jake explained everything very well, from the house structure to introducing the security guards, patrol routes, and emergency exits.
"When do you think it would be alright to move in?"
"If you come in a week, we should be able to completely finish the garden arrangements as well."
"I see. Well, thank you for your hard work."
"Yes, sir. Take care.
Caesar got back into the carriage.
He sighed and said,
"What's left on the schedule now?"
"It's time to check the assets and transaction records you brought from Big Foot Family's hideout."
"Right. That's what's left."
"And didn't you decide to get an additional loan from Parker Bank? You need to go sign the confirmation."
"...Can't you do that as my proxy?"
"Didn't you say you would personally check the magic gold to be sent to the Magic Tower? You might as well do it together while you're at it."
"...Damn it."
Caesar stared blankly out the window.
"By the way, why do I feel like I have more work to do since I called you? I hired you to make things easier for me, didn't I?"
"You just haven't done the things you were supposed to do until now."
"You wouldn't be so unlikeable if you couldn't talk. Let's go."
***
Four days later.
It seems Knox was indeed a capable person.
Benjamin & Junior had completely shed its old image and transformed into a high-class tea house.
"...It changed too much."
Of course, Benjamin seemed to have mixed feelings about the tea house that held memories with his father changing so drastically.
But what can you do?
I'm the owner, so if I say change it, it has to be changed.
From his perspective, he should be grateful that even the signboard was kept.
Caesar visited the private reception room prepared by Knox.
Apparently, nobles and council members prefer to have conversations in such discreet places.
"Looks like a perfect place for shady talks."
"Caesar, sir. A guest has arrived."
"Oh? I should go greet our first guest then."
The first guest to the renovated tea house was Gregory Walterwood.
"How have you been, Councilman Walterwood?"
"I've been well."
Gregory looked at Knox and made a subtle expression.
"It's been a while, hasn't it?"
"It has been, Councilman Walterwood."
His gaze lingered on Knox for a while, as if he had a lot to say.
But judging it wasn't the right time to speak, he looked back at Caesar.
"The tea house looks quite impressive. Must have cost a fortune."
"More than the furniture, it's those paintings on the wall that cost a lot."
"It might be because they're works by Schultz, who's been making a name for himself recently. Harrison has liked that artist for a long time."
At Gregory's words, Harrison flinched slightly.
That guy is too weak to his dad.
No, that's not it.
How many families are there where people are intimidated by their fathers?
This level could be considered mild.
"Anyway, I should taste the tea. A tea house is worthless if the tea doesn't taste good."
"It suits my taste, but I'm not sure if it'll suit yours. Let's go in."
Caesar and Gregory headed to the prepared private room.
After tasting the tea, Gregory spoke.
"Seems Knox prepared it well. It's quite good."
"I'm glad. Please visit often."
"Hmm..."
After moistening his throat with more tea, Gregory changed the subject.
"Politicians often use political rhetoric. Instead of promising to definitely carry out certain actions, they attach specific conditions. If they fulfill the promise, it becomes their achievement, and if they can't keep the promise due to unavoidable circumstances, they can say it was because the conditions weren't met."
"In short, you're saying they leave a way out?"
"That's right. It's safer to have such insurance. That way, even if you face political attacks, you have room to escape."
"So what are you trying to say?"
"If I have time, I'll visit this tea house often."
Caesar looked at Gregory as if he couldn't believe it.
"After hearing about political rhetoric, it sounds like you have no intention of coming at all."
"This is the life of a politician I've lived. From that perspective, the promise you made to me before was far from political. It seemed more like a gambler than a politician."
"I had confidence that I could do it."
"But you could have laid down some appropriate insurance. That's the difference between gambling and politics. They're the same in that you bet stakes for a better future, but in politics, you can mitigate or reduce losses with your tongue."
"But it's cool."
At Caesar's words, Gregory looked at him incredulously.
"Cool?"
"People are more drawn to those who boldly say they'll definitely do something rather than those who carefully lay groundwork. That's probably why I was able to move you."
Gregory laughed as if amused.
"Style! Yes, I admit it. You were cool back then."
"I'm flattered by your praise."
"But what's more important is that you persuaded me with words and you kept your promise. I really like that about you."
"What on earth are you trying to say by flattering me like this? I'm starting to feel like dancing."
"By any chance, are you interested in becoming a council member of Homigraph?"
Caesar looked into his eyes.
Is this guy serious?
He wanted to use psychometry right away to hear what he was thinking when he said this, but the distance between them was considerable.
Caesar took a sip of tea before speaking.
"You're a politician, right?"
"That's right."
"Then according to the political rhetoric you mentioned, there must be conditions attached."
Gregory took a sip of tea before speaking.
"Hand over all of Vito's bribery ledgers, transaction records, and secret contracts you have. Then I'll make you a council member of Homigraph."
His eyes were calm, but Caesar could tell from the subtle change in his heartbeat.
This old man.
He's extremely excited right now, like a predator in front of its prey.